The Next XMen
by Mer
Summary: It's a continuation of the first X-Men movie with two main characters, Nightcrawler and Phorm (new). Input much appreciated!
1. Prologue

The Next X-Men  
  
Author's Note: This story begins where the X-Men movie left off. Some new characters, some old characters, some borrowed ideas (thanks animorphs!), some original ideas. I'd like to apologize in advance for any mistakes in the characters' backgrounds, as I certainly do not know everything there is to know about the x-men. Also, this is a work in progress, so if you have ideas about where to go next, corrections, or any other input please let me know. Thank you, and enjoy!  
  
Prologue  
  
He never knew his parents. She knows her parents are dead. He has always wanted to be human. She's always wanted to be anything else. They both have obstacles to overcome. They both can't do it alone.  
  
Character Preface  
  
I'm called Nightcrawler. My real name is Kurt Wagner. I picked up the name Nightcrawler while working in a circus, and it suits me well. Perhaps I should describe my appearance to you, for it may not be what you would expect. You see, I am a mutant: I have indigo hair, blue fur, three fingers on each hand, two toes on each foot, fangs, pointed ears, yellow eyes and a tail. I'm strange even for a mutant. I was abandoned by my parents and grew up alone. Then I was approached by Professor Xavier to come to his academy, a school for training mutants. I'd tell you more, but this story isn't just about me.   
  
My name is Sharon. I go by the nickname Phorm, an anagram of morph. Morphing is my power, the ability to change into any animal that I touch (or DNA imprint in scientific terms). It's been my greatest asset in life, my refuge and my escape. After my parents died I had pretty much given up on being human, trying to be normal or fit in. Instead I ran away. I followed a hunch and flew to the UN World Summit Meeting in New York to try to find someone like me, other mutants. There I met up with the X-Men, which would change my life. 


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1  
  
Nightcrawler:  
The train slowed down as it approached the station. I looked out the window to see the rows of people waiting for their loved ones to arrive, then slouched down in my seat and continued staring at the floor. The large man sitting across from me was busy reading a newspaper, but I still didn't feel comfortable looking too obvious. When people see what I look like they usually scream or faint or something. Finally the train came to a complete stop, and I waited as the man across from me gathered his things. When he left I picked up my bag and walked out of the compartment. I made sure my hood was on completely and exited the train.   
A woman with white hair waved to me and I made my way through the crowd to her. She led me to a large limousine and opened the door. Xavier greeted me as I sat down in the back seat.  
"How was your trip?" he asked.  
"Fine," I answered with a lame smile. I never liked traveling through public places. The woman with the white hair went around to the front and started the limousine.   
"I'm glad you decided to come. Your room is all ready," said the professor. I looked at the driver, the woman with white hair. "Ah, forgive me for not introducing you," he said. "This is Miss Ororo Munroe."  
"Also known as Storm," she said, glancing back with a smile.  
"Hello," I said. After about half an hour we arrived at a large mansion. The gate opened and we drove up to the building itself. It was larger than I had imagined.   
"This is it," said Storm. The limousine stopped and we got out. Storm helped Professor Xavier into a wheelchair, and we went into the building. A group of students gathered around us as we came in. I shrank back a bit at the sight of so many people.  
"Everyone," said Professor Xavier, "this is Kurt. He's come here to join the team." At least twenty pairs of eyes stared curiously at me. They must have been very interested in the new arrival that was going to join the X-Men.   
"Why don't you introduce yourselves?" said the professor. A guy with blonde hair moved forward and extended his hand.  
"Hey, I'm Eric," he said. Some students in the crowd gasped as I shook his hand with my own two-fingered hand. I started to sweat, wishing I could be anywhere else. My hood fell down, followed by more gasps. Erik was a little shocked to, but shook my hand all the same.   
"Hello," I said, "I'm also called Nightcrawler." At least Eric wasn't frightened by my appearance. Then everyone else in the crowd joined in.  
"I'm Courtney."  
"Jennifer."  
"Kevin, nice to meet you."  
Before I knew it I was talking with over twenty people at once. As I was being escorted to my room I glanced back to see Storm and the Professor smiling. I smiled back, and then kept walking with everyone. Then I noticed a girl with dark black hair sitting in a chair at the end of the hallway. She looked up at me with silver gray eyes and smiled. Before I could stop and talk to her I was swept up into the crowd again.  
"So you worked at a circus for a while?" asked someone.   
"Yeah," I said, not paying attention to whoever was talking. I tried to look back and see if that mysterious girl was still there, but she was gone. So I went with the group of kids and kept talking with them, and forgot her momentarily. It was overwhelming; all of a sudden I had tons of friends and lived at a mansion. I even forgot to feel uncomfortable around people. Maybe being a mutant isn't always such a bad thing.  
  
Phorm:  
"Professor, do you have a minute?" I asked. He looked up from his desk.   
"Certainly, what is it Sharon?" he said.  
"I looked around the Statue of Liberty again yesterday, and there was nothing. No sign of any Brotherhood members."  
"That's strange, did you check the water?"  
"Yep, no sign of froggy. I also checked in with the police. The reports noted a few injured guards, but nothing that matched Sabertooth's description. I think Mystique wasn't the only one to sneak away."  
"Hm," he said with a look of concern. "They'll probably try to reorganize the Brotherhood and free Magneto from prison. Thank you for bringing it to my attention."  
"No prob," I said. "Should I keep an eye out for Mystique and company?"  
"If you have the time, but be sure not to miss tomorrow's meeting. I want Kurt to meet everyone on the team."  
"I was kind of wondering about the new guy Kurt," I said. "What's his story?"  
"Well, he was abandoned by his parents when he was very young. He grew up working in a circus, and when I asked him to join the X-Men he agreed. He also goes by the name Nightcrawler."   
"Nightcrawler, huh?" I said. "What's his power?"  
"Teleportation and agility," said the professor. "He also has an extremely flexible spine."  
"Cool," I said. "Thanks professor." I left the professor's office and headed towards my room. I flopped down on my bed and watched the sun set outside of my window. When it got dark I still couldn't sleep (not that I expected to), so I started thinking.  
I thought of the new student Nightcrawler that was joining the team. I'd only gotten to see him for a split second but he seemed pretty cool. Then I thought of how I had come to this school, and Professor Xavier had invited me to join the X-Men. I was really glad to have a place to stay, be a part of a team. It was hard being alone, after my parents...  
I cut that thought off there and searched for some different thoughts. The professor was a really kindhearted person, anyone on the campus could tell you that. He spent his time working for the X-Men, protecting the innocent, fighting crime, helping those in need, stuff like that. I didn't understand how anyone could be so nice, especially to a runaway like me, but I was grateful that someone was. And it wasn't too bad helping out; I got to use my morphs to actually do something useful for the world, wow! Then I thought about Nightcrawler again, and I hoped there would be a chance for us to officially meet soon. 


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
  
Nightcrawler:  
I tossed and turned in my bed, but I couldn't get comfortable. I wasn't used to this room yet, and I was too excited to sleep. Slowly, I got out of bed and put on a jacket and pants. Then zap; I was in the hallway. I looked up and down the dark hall and swished my tail nervously. There was nothing but an old clock reading one in the morning, a sleeping gray cat, and some classy furniture. At least, a lot classier than I was used to.  
"Coast is clear," I said to myself. The gray cat awoke and looked around as I moved stealthily down the hall. I continued down the hallway and started down a flight of stairs when I heard a voice.  
What's up?  
I looked around to try to pinpoint where the voice had come from. It had seemed to come from no where, like it was inside my own head.  
"Who is there?" I asked quietly, hoping not to wake anyone.   
Down here, said the voice. I suddenly realized who, or more like what was speaking. The cat. It walked towards me slowly, then stopped and looked up at me with smiling eyes.  
"Okay, this must be some strange dream." I pinched my arm, and flinched. "Or maybe not. Who are you?"  
My name's Sharon, I go by the name Phorm. I morph into different animals, it usually takes people by surprise. Sorry if I startled you with the whole telepathic communication thing.  
"So you're not a talking cat?"  
Nope, she said, I'll prove it to you if you promise not to freak out.  
"Okay," I said, not sure what to expect.  
She began to grow larger, and the fur shrank back to reveal human skin. Her cat ears traveled down the sides of her head to become human ears. It was fascinating to watch, this transformation. I had never seen anything like it. One minute she was a gray cat, the next minute the girl with jet-black hair and silver-gray eyes.  
"Wow," I said. "That's amazing! I saw you in the hall today, didn't I?" Duh, what clever observation skills. I could feel my cheeks burn.  
"Yup," she said with a smile.   
"Eh, sorry for being rude. I would have said hi if it wasn't for the wall of people."  
"Don't worry about it. So, what brings you out here tonight?"  
"I couldn't sleep," I said. I hoped she wouldn't tell the professor I was running around the mansion at night. Then again, so was she. "How about you?"  
"Ditto," she said. "It's easier to sleep as a cat, and if I don't sleep it's just more fun."  
"Sorry I woke you up," I said, although I didn't really regret it. I'd wanted to talk to Sharon before, and now I had my chance. She was interesting, a little peculiar, but interesting.  
"Oh, I don't really mind," she said. "Since I'm up, why don't I show you around?"  
"Okay." We walked around the dark hallways of the school, always careful not to make too much noise. I found out that Sharon had run away from home and joined up with the X-Men a little while ago. She didn't go into details and got quiet for a while.   
Then she smiled and said, "Well that was awkward." I laughed and she started talking again. Then there was a noise down the hall, and we thought someone had heard us. Sharon morphed into a cat and hid under a chair and I teleported twenty feet down the hall. We just sat there hiding for a few seconds until Sharon spoke up.  
I'm gonna' go check it out. She walked confidently up the hall and looked around. The noise turned out to be just a cricket, but it was very exciting. Sharon changed back into herself and picked up the tiny bug.  
"What are you doing with it?" I asked. She let it go.  
"Just getting an extra morph. Although I don't like morphing small animals, especially bugs." We got on to chatting and when we'd thoroughly exhausted ourselves talking, laughing, and running around the mansion we decided to get some sleep.  
"I guess I'll see you in training tomorrow," she said. "Maybe you wanna' meet here tomorrow night?"  
"Sure," I said, the excitement in my voice evident. "I'll see you then."  
"Goodnight," she said. She turned away walked down the hall, morphing back into a cat as she turned the corner. I walked back to my room and found my bed. I don't know when I fell asleep, but I remember wondering what it would be like training with the X Men. One thing I knew at least. With Sharon on the team it wouldn't be boring.  
  
Phorm:  
Usually I don't get much sleep, but last night I'd only gotten around two hours. I woke up sore and cranky from running around, and on top of that my hair was impossible. Let's just say I'm not a morning person.   
Anyway, I made it out of bed and managed to get ready for the meeting. Usually there is no strict training schedule. All the X-Men pretty much just meet once in a while and have practice sessions maybe once a week with the only exceptions being emergency meetings. The practice sessions are cool. They're held in the danger room; a huge holographic gymnasium that can be set to simulate any sort of situation. It gives us a chance to practice our fighting skills, and for us to test new members. Sometimes I got in there to test my morphs too.   
I walked into the conference room before it was time for the meeting and took a seat. Kurt was standing next to some of the other team members, shaking ever so slightly from nervous energy and lack of sleep. He saw me and smiled but was busy talking to Cyclops. Cyclops acknowledged me with a neutral glance. I sat staring at nothing at all, thinking to myself.  
Cyclops's real name is Scott but I usually just call him Cyclops so I don't get confused, plus the whole respect thing. That's so weird, how "young people" are not supposed to call adults by their first names. I mean, who really cares? Anyway, he always wears sunglasses because he shoots red beams from his eyes, which is pretty cool to see unless you're standing in front of him. He introduced Kurt to Jean Grey and Rogue. Jean's got telekinetic and telepathic powers and Rogue can drain people's powers. They sat down, but there were still more empty seats in the room.  
Then Professor Xavier came in along with Storm and Beast. Beast (whose real name is Dr. Hank McCoy) had returned from a research trip a few days ago. He was surprised to hear about what had happened while he was gone. He'd missed the whole fight with Magneto, and me and Rogue joining the team. You should have seen him when he heard about my powers. I guess it's unique that I can change into animals, because whenever I see him he asks to run some more tests. It's like I became his next science project.   
Storm's power is that she can control the weather. When I first met the X-Men at the UN Summit Meeting she'd almost unintentionally zapped me with a bolt of lightning, but I didn't hold it against her. She had always been kind to me, talked with me when I was down and all. Sometimes you need someone like that around.  
So that's our little party, enough with the background info. I was still sitting and staring at nothing as the whole group sat down. Cyclops finished up the intros and went over some official stuff but I was pretty much tuned out. I looked at Kurt and made a 'blah blah blah' expression. Kurt stifled a laugh. Then I looked at my watch (or at least where a watch would be if I wore one) and yawned, which caused him to laugh again. This time Cyclops noticed. He looked from Kurt to me and my expression went quickly to serious. Ha! I'd gotten away with another one, and Cyclops was none the wiser.  
"Well, that's everyone," said Cyclops, giving me a stern look. "Professor."   
"All right," said the professor, "Sharon has brought to my attention that not all of the Brotherhood members have been accounted for." Everyone looked at me. Oh goody, I got to be the center of attention!   
"Mystique was on TV a little while ago so we know she got away, and there was no trace of the others on Liberty Island," I said. "Seems they all got away."  
"I will use Cerebro to try to locate them," the professor said, "but if that fails we must perform a manual search." Cerebro was this big room that the professor used to detect mutants. It amplifies his psychic powers and lets him trace mutant brainwaves.  
"Should I take out the Blackbird?" asked Cyclops. The Blackbird was our very own stealth jet. Pretty spiffy looking too.   
"No Scott, not just yet," answered the professor. "First I will try using Cerebro. Until then I want everyone preparing. I'm not sure if we'll have to take action any time soon. Before any of that Kurt must take the test."  
Kurt looked more than nervous as our little party traveled down the underground halls to the danger room. I overheard Cyclops talking to Kurt again.  
"So, have you met Phorm before?" asked Cyclops. Uh oh, Cyclops was getting snoopy.   
"Um, yes," said Kurt. I could tell he didn't want anyone to know he'd been out last night. It wouldn't exactly make the best impression on the professor.  
"When?" inquired Cyclops.  
"We met when I arrived," he said. Well, that was pretty true. I walked up to them and cut in on the conversation to make sure Cyclops didn't get too inquisitive.  
"Yup," I said, smiling a big dopey smile. "Kurt's first time in the danger room, oh the memories!" Cyclops looked annoyed, but the distraction worked.   
"Wait! Let me get a camera," I persisted in my big dopey smile, "this is a Kodak moment!" That was one of my typical quirky comments (an especially used one at that) so everyone just acknowledged with a sigh, but Kurt found it funny and laughed. It was refreshing to have someone actually laugh at my joke, but the important thing was Kurt's questioning was over. Save made. Finally we arrived at the danger room entrance. I guess Cyclops had explained to Kurt what he had to do while I was spaced out.  
"This is it," Professor Xavier said to Kurt. "Now is when you must use your skills to overcome the threats in the danger room. Remember the danger room simulations are very real. This is a sort of test and we will judge your abilities to confirm your team membership."   
"No pressure or anything." I added to lighten things up. Kurt seemed to relax a little, but Cyclops shot me a look saying 'this is serious.' I rolled my eyes in exasperation.  
Sometimes I think old Cyclops doesn't trust me. He seemed sort of reluctant at first to my joining the team, and after that being on the team. Who knew that two orphans could become such different people? There was Cyclops, the loyal and accountable leader of the X-Men, and then, well then there was me. I had to admit I could be childish sometimes, and I guess Mr. Responsible has a reason not to trust a runaway like me, but it gets sort of annoying. Anytime I goof off the slightest bit he shoots me one of his dirty looks.  
"Yes," said the professor, "There's no need for you to worry about the test. I'm sure you'll do fine."  
"Are you ready?" said Beast, who was at the outer controls to the room.  
"I think so," said Kurt.   
"Good luck," I said with a smile. Then Beast opened the door and the rest of us watched as Nightcrawler entered the danger room. 


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
  
Nightcrawler:  
I stepped away from my new friends, and hopefully my new teammates. The door opened and I entered, blinded at first by the bright lights. As soon as the door closed the room changed, and suddenly I was in a forest. This was the holographic part Cyclops had warned me about in the danger room. Now came the "danger" part.  
Suddenly two laser cannons emerged from the side walls behind me and began to blast the trees right around me. I jumped and did a triple front flip to land on an upper tree branch to avoid the shots, but the laser cannons followed me. I looked at their positioning, then got a bright idea. From the upper branch I leaped and landed right in between them. It probably looked like the stupidest thing I could have done, because then both cannons turned to me at point blank range. But that was what I wanted. I heard the mechanisms prepare to fire and zap, I was back in the upper tree branch. The cannons had fired on each other.  
"Nice work," said the professor over a loudspeaker, "that was very resourceful."   
"Coolio!" said Sharon.   
I barely had time to acknowledge their compliments. Suddenly these cords emerged from the trees and began to grab my arms and legs. I teleported free of them to another tree but they kept coming. I needed to find a way to beat them, not run away from them.  
zap, zap, zap, zap - I teleported from tree to tree in a circle, under branches and over branches. All of the cords followed me. As I had hoped they wrapped around the tree branches and were completely immobilized.   
"Very well done," said the professor. "I believe you've more than proven your skill."  
This time I stopped and smiled. Bad idea.  
THUD - a robotic arm had come down on my shoulder. I turned around to see that the trees were gone and that there was now some sort of android attacking me. I quickly teleported to the other side of the room. It charged at me top speed and…zap… hit the wall. I had defeated it, but my shoulder ached afterwards. I didn't really care, because just then the door to the danger room opened and I knew that I had made it on the X-Men.  
I exited the danger room to overwhelming congratulations and compliments.   
"Good job," said Cyclops with a genuine smile.  
"An exquisite performance!" said Beast. Then Sharon walked up to me.   
"Knew you could do it," she said. "Don't worry about that robot, he gets everybody on the first try."  
"Yes," said the professor. "We must be sure never to let our guards down."  
"I know," I said, "or at least I know now." Professor Xavier smiled.   
"That will be all for today," said the professor. "The decision has been made. Kurt, welcome to the X-Men."   
"All right, all right!" Said Sharon. I beamed.   
I left the underground area and returned to the main school. Sharon came with me, sharing stories of the first time she went in the danger room.  
"I had the most trouble with the cannons," she said. "I wanted to use my rhino morph to destroy them but it was too slow. I ended up going with a rabbit and using your tactic." We talked for a long time and I laughed at all of her jokes (and she had a lot of them). Then a crowd of students came. They must have heard the news that I was joining the team, they all had a million questions to ask me and wanted to congratulate me. Eric and some of his friends came over.  
"Hey Kurt," said Eric. "Why don't you come with us to celebrate?"   
"Sure, we'll come," I said. I looked at Sharon.  
"Um, you guys go ahead," she said. "I've got some stuff to do."  
"Are you sure?" I asked. I could tell she wanted to go, but something made her sort of nervous, reluctant. She seemed to be debating it.  
"Yeah," she said, assuring herself of her decision. "I'll catch ya later." She forced a smile.   
"Come on," said Eric to me.   
"Okay," I said. "Bye Sharon."  
"See ya' later," she said.   
Soon concern for Sharon was replaced by excitement. I couldn't believe everything that had happened! I had friends, I was on the X-Men, I was accepted, I belonged. It seemed too good to be true!   
  
Phorm:  
I watched as Kurt walked off with Eric and his friends. I didn't follow. Instead I walked back to my room slowly. Something was bothering me. I was happy for Kurt, happy that he was on the X-Men, happy that he had met some new friends, and yet something was bothering me.   
I wanted to go with Kurt to his party, but there is just something about big social events that makes me feel uncomfortable. They remind me of when I was at my old school dances, my old life I guess you could say. It sounded stupid; I didn't want to go to Kurt's party because I was afraid to reminisce, but it was hard for me back then. I was alone most of the time, didn't have anybody I could really talk to. The only people I ever opened up to were my parents, and now they were gone.  
A shiver went down my spine and I walked faster until I arrived at my room. I'd apologize to Kurt later for not coming, although I could never tell him why. I was just being silly, that was all. Why was I getting so worked up over a party? I opened my window and morphed golden eagle. I didn't want to think anymore right now, I wanted to fly. Most kids spend their time hanging out or doing homework. I usually spend my afternoons out leisure flying or looking for the Brotherhood members. Anything I could do to help.  
I flew out of the window and let the warm air fill my wings. I flew away from the school and let the updrafts lift me high above the city of Westchester. It was a freedom I loved, leaving everything on the ground and just flying. But this wasn't a pleasure flight; it was a hunt. I used my binocular eyes to search the city below for a sign of the Brotherhood members; the sooner they were all found, the better. It was mid-afternoon when I saw something interesting. It was the guy from the fight at the UN Summit Meeting, Wolverine. I wondered what he was doing back in town so soon.   
We'd never really met before, but I'd seen him when he was fighting with Sabertooth on top of the Statue of Liberty. I was a barn owl at the time, and when Sabertooth dropped Cyclops's visor I snatched it up in my talons and threw it back to Wolverine. He'd given me the weirdest look, then jumped back into the Statue's head.   
Anyway, I saw Wolverine on a motorcycle pulling into an otherwise empty alley. He rode through a little ways then stopped. His nose twitched and suddenly I noticed that he wasn't the only one there.  
Wolverine, behind you! I yelled to him with my telepathic communication. Just then the monstrous Sabertooth lunged at him from behind a wall, knocking him off of his motorcycle. His head must have hit the ground pretty hard because he was unconscious. Sabertooth was ready to attack again, and things looked pretty bad. It was time for Phorm, super bird!  
I screamed the eagle's piercing cry and Sabertooth stopped. It also woke up Wolverine, but I wasn't done yet. I tucked in my wings and made a nose-dive strait for Sabertooth's head. I was a total kamikaze!   
Now, an eagle's talons are sharp, very sharp, because they're designed to kill rodents. Maybe you've seen a bird-handler holding an eagle, how they have to wear those thick leather gloves? That's just to give you an idea of what it was like for Sabertooth as I scratched my talons into his forehead while flying at top speed. He looked up at the last moment and let out a snarl. I admit it wasn't an especially nice thing to do, but neither is attacking someone from behind.   
I started to flap away when his clawed hand came down on my frail spine. I was knocked to the ground and couldn't move my wings. He'd finish me off with another hit like that. Lucky for me Wolverine was now fully awake. He ran at Sabertooth and knocked him away from me. They started fighting again and ignored the psycho bird that had become the psycho kid, and was now changing into the psycho grizzly bear. I admit attacking as an eagle was a little nuts, but now I could make up for it.   
"GRRROOAAAARRRR!!!!!!" I bellowed. They both stopped dead and stared at the grizzly bear that had suddenly appeared where a golden eagle had been. I looked strait at Sabertooth, who was gripping Wolverine's arm.   
You want a piece of me? I shouted telepathically. I stood on my hind legs and pointed to myself in a very human way.  
Bring it on! I charged on all fours. It's surprising how fast a bear can run. They look all fuzzy and fat, but let me tell you, bear's are sheer power. Sabertooth let go of Wolverine and started to run away. We were probably an even match, but when you see a grizzly coming your way you don't really stop to consider the odds of the fight. I slowed down to a trot.   
Yeah you better run, I said as he disappeared down the alleyway. Sabertooth was outta' here. Then I looked at a very bewildered Wolverine. He had his claws up as if ready to attack or defend.  
Uh, hi, I said with an awkward smile. I remembered that a bear's smile is kind of scary when I saw Wolverine tense up. At least he didn't lose his cool.  
"Let me get this strait," he said. "You're a talking bear. What does that make me, Dr. Dolittle?" I liked that movie! But now was not the time to discuss movie favorites.  
I have telepathic communication and, well, I'm not really a bear. What should I do? If I demorphed he might freak out (as people often do when they see a bear turn into a human) and if I didn't he would probably just think he was nuts. I mean, who listens to a talking grizzly bear?   
"All right so you're not a bear," he said, still looking very confused. "Then who are you? I heard your voice before, how do you know my name?" I decided I'd just demorph.  
This is going to be very weird, but just try to remain calm. I'm going to change back into myself, then I'll try to answer some of your questions. I thought of being human again and slowly the shaggy brown fur of the grizzly melted into my skin and the huge bulk of the bear became little old me.   
"My name's Sharon," I said with a smile. Then I looked at his claws. They didn't scare me as a grizzly, but now I wasn't a grizzly. He saw me look at his claws.  
"Sorry," he said as he retracted them. "Now how about those answers."  
"Um, okay, let me explain," I said. I took a deep breath and summarized quite a bit of information in very little time. I basically covered who I was, how I'd gotten involved in the Summit Meeting, and how I knew him. The whole speech took about two minutes, and when I finished my jaw was a little bit sore from speaking a mile a minute. Wolverine frowned in thought for a minute.  
"Well all right then," he said. "So you were that owl back at the Statue of Liberty, and the kamikaze bird that attacked Sabertooth. Thanks for clearing things up," he said. How cool! He said kamikaze! That was my word!  
"No problem," I said. "Are you going back to the mansion?"  
"Sure, why not," he said. I think I liked this guy's attitude. He was independent, sarcastic, afraid of nothing...sounded like me. We'd just met in person for the first time, but I felt like I'd known him for a while. I morphed back into golden eagle and took to the air.  
I'm gonna' see if I can find where Sabertooth ran off to, I said. He looked up but was too far below to object, which I didn't mind. He peeled out on his motorcycle and headed back to the mansion.  
I looked for Sabertooth for a little while. I saw some footprints leading to a rundown subway entrance, but I didn't follow them. I may be crazy, but I'm not stupid. If I went down there and was attacked I wouldn't have anyone to back me up. I shouldn't have wasted so much time chatting with Wolverine. Maybe if I had run after Sabertooth I could have caught him. Oh well. I flapped back to the mansion. At least we'd found Sabertooth, and it hadn't been a boring afternoon. 


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4  
  
Nightcrawler:  
I had followed Eric and his friends to the recreation room. When the door opened I saw that there were some balloons and decorations and the room was filled with students. They'd moved over all the pool and ping-pong tables to make room for dancing.  
"Surprise!" they shouted as I came in.   
"You guys did this for me?" I asked Eric and his friends. Eric smiled.   
"Of course dude, what're friends for?" Then he turned to the rest of the students. "Well, now that guest of honor's here let's get this party started!" Everyone in the room hollered.  
The party got started. There was punch, chips, sodas, candy, all sorts of junk food. At first people just stood around and talked, huddled around the food. Then Eric and some girl started dancing and everyone else joined in. I tore up the dance floor on the fast songs, but sat out all of the slow songs. The hours drifted away, and finally I got up the courage and asked a girl if she would dance with me. My pulse rose and my muscles tensed as I waited for her answer.  
"Um," she said, biting her lip and looking around nervously, "I'm going with someone else. Sorry."  
"That's okay," I said disappointed. More like crushed. I sat back down by the food.   
Then I noticed a guy walk over to the girl I had just asked to dance. He was blushing and said something to her nervously. She smiled and nodded, then went with him to dance. I was shocked as I worked through what I just saw. Was that the guy she was already going with, or did he just ask her to dance? From what I'd seen it looked like the latter. I was angry and light-headed. I needed to get out.  
zap- I teleported outside to a bench and sat there with my head in my hands.  
Why had she said yes to him and no to me? Well, that's painfully obvious. Same reason I had been abandoned by my parents. Same reason I hated public places. It was stupid of me to think that no one noticed how I looked, to forget what I really was.   
I looked at my hands. They were horribly deformed, three fingers covered in blue fur. I was a freak, an outcast, a mutant among mutants. Sure, they accepted me, but that didn't change the way I looked. I felt a hot tear run down my cheek, filled with hopelessness and loneliness. I quickly wiped it away. Why was I so messed up? Why couldn't I just be normal?  
Just then I heard a motorcycle pulling up in the driveway a dozen yards behind me. I heard the engine stop and footsteps heading up towards the door. I thought for a moment about seeing who it was, but I didn't want to see anyone right now. Or anyone to see me. That brought me back to my appearance. I thought long and hard about the night's events, about the events of my life. They seemed to be filled with pain and loneliness, no one cared. Only, I knew that wasn't true. Professor Xavier, the X-Men, Sharon, all of them had ignored my appearance, didn't even seem to notice it once.   
Yo, what's up? I heard Sharon's voice in my head. Just then a tawny bird of prey swooped down and landed on the railing of the bench.   
"Oh, hi," I said, a little surprised at the sudden company.   
So, how was the party? she said, her telepathic voice a little distant.   
"Great," I said with the same distance and some sarcasm.   
By that you mean not so great, she said. What happened?  
"Nothing," I said. "I don't really want to talk about it."  
That bad, huh?  
"Yeah, I guess so." She took a deep breath (which isn't very deep for an eagle).  
Look, she said, I'm sorry I wasn't there this afternoon. I wanted to go, I just…  
"Had stuff to do," I said. I didn't mean for it to sound so harsh. I was thinking of the girl at the dance, how she'd rejected me because of how I looked. Sharon had never been like that; I knew she didn't ditch me because of how I looked. If anything, she'd helped me feel just fine about who I was.   
No, she said, it's not that. She seemed uneasy, shifting her weight from talon to talon. It's just that, I don't know how to explain it, I just haven't been in to dances and parties since I ran away, since my parents and all. Guess you could say I try to leave it all in the past. I'd rather not talk about it. She stared into the distance with that fixed eagle's gaze. I had never known my parents at all, and I hadn't really thought about how hard it must have been for her to lose her parents until then.   
So anyway, she said, Can't you tell me what happened tonight? Well, Sharon had opened up to me so it only seemed fair for me to open up a little too.   
"A girl at the dance said she was already going out with someone when I asked her to dance, then went with another guy that asked her a few seconds later." It seemed kind of childish now that I said it out loud, but the sting of it was still there.  
So the girl's a jerk, you can't help that, said Phorm. I sighed.  
"I guess so, but I can't help but feel it has something to do with how I look."  
What? Don't get down on yourself because of her. I'm sorry Kurt. I should have been there. I'd have morphed to water buffalo and set her straight. I laughed a bit, and she started to demorph back to herself.   
"It's okay," I said, "and in that case I guess it was best you weren't there." I sat facing her and all my sad and lonely thoughts seemed to evaporate in the light of her cheerful smile.   
"And if it makes you feel any better," she said, "I think you're kinda' cute." She looked away blushing, as did I. I'd been called a lot of things, but never cute.  
"Thank you," I said. She sighed.  
"Yeah, well don't let it go to your head, and let's get inside! It's chilly out here, and there's someone you gotta' meet." A smile lit up her face, and that infectious happiness returned. I was glad she was back, and the fact we were still friends was all that mattered to me right then.   
  
Phorm:   
Phew, was I glad we got that all patched up. I'd thought before that I could never tell Kurt why I didn't want to go because it sounded so stupid, but it had just sort of come out when I was trying to explain. I had been afraid that Kurt was angry at me, which was strange. I don't really care about what people think of me. Or I guess, I didn't before.  
"So," said Kurt as we walked inside, "who's this person you want me to meet?"  
"Just a friend I met while out flying," I said. Just then we turned a corner and there was Wolverine, what a ko-ink-ee-dink.  
"What's up?" I said. He saw Kurt and I, and I felt Kurt tense up. I realized now how much Kurt's looks meant to him. I mean, never knowing whether someone you meet will scream or run or whatever has to be hard. Real hard.  
"Oh, hey," said Wolverine. He looked once at Kurt but didn't make anything of it, which was good. "So, did you find anything?" His look became serious as he said this. Guess he and Sabertooth had a serious bone to pick.  
"Some footprints leading down an old abandoned subway," I said. Then I did my best impression of a four-year old (which wasn't hard since I was always acting like a kid anyways), "But it was dawk and sca-wy." Wolverine laughed. Kurt looked very confused.  
"Uh," he said, looking at me questioningly.  
"Ah, right," I said. "Kurt, Wolverine. Wolverine, Kurt."  
"Hello," said Kurt.  
"Hey," said Wolverine. I brought Kurt up to speed on what had happened that day.   
"We'd better tell the professor," I said at last, "can't leave Goldilocks wreaking havoc in the subway." A few chuckles from my audience.  
"Yeah," said Wolverine. Then he looked across the hallway. Kurt and I looked in the same direction and there was Cyclops. He had seen Wolverine and was walking over quickly.   
"Hi," I said. He ignored Kurt and me, but looked straight at Wolverine.  
"Where's my bike?" Not exactly a hearty 'welcome back'.   
"Relax," said Wolverine with a smile, "it's out front, and not a scratch on it." Cyclops looked out the window and seemed a little less tense at the sight of his motorcycle in one piece.   
"Thanks," he said, "next time ask." Wow, Cyclops said thanks! So he could be a normal guy once in a while, but I knew that with me around that wouldn't last long. All I had to do was open my mouth and he'd turn back into Mr. Responsible; all scowls and disapproving looks.  
"So you've met Phorm and Nightcrawler?" Cyclops said to Wolverine. I didn't like being talked about like I wasn't there.  
"Yeah, we met," I jumped in. Yup, his smile faded instantly. I wanted to study the effects of annoying students on Cyclops's mood more, but I had some news to impart, and I know when to take things seriously. "And guess what we found?"   
"What?" Cyclops asked indifferently.   
"Sabertooth," answered Wolverine, with a hint of disgust.  
"You mean he survived Liberty Island?"  
"Yeah," said Wolverine, "and Goldilocks is as big, mean, and ugly as ever." 


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5  
  
Nightcrawler:  
Without further delay we headed to Professor Xavier's office. Rogue and Ms. Grey were there speaking with the professor when we entered.  
"Ah, I'm glad you're all here," said the professor. Spotting Wolverine he added warmly, "Wolverine, welcome back."   
"Good to be here," he said, nodding at the professor and Rogue and then looking noticeably longer at Jean Grey. Rogue smiled back at Wolverine enthusiastically, and Jean Grey smiled at him for a moment and then looked away. I may have been the newest of the X-Men, but even I could sense the tension. Cyclops moved closer to speak to the professor (and coincidentally closer to Jean Grey).   
"Professor," he said, "it seems Phorm and Wolverine spotted Sabertooth today."  
"Really?" said the professor.  
"Yup," Phorm added. "We got into a little tussle, but he chickened out and ran down an abandoned subway."  
"That's strange," said the professor.   
"What, Sabertooth running like the cowardly lion?" Cyclops looked a bit annoyed by the interruption, but the professor didn't seem to mind.   
"No, it's just that today I was unable to find Sabertooth using Cerebro..."  
"Could this possibly have been an illusion or a holographic image?" Jean Grey asked. Wolverine shook his head.  
"I doubt it. Whatever it was it fought like Sabertooth, and it definitely smelled like him."  
"So what does this mean?" I asked, looking around at the concerned expressions.   
"It means that Sabertooth is still unaccounted for, and we will have to investigate this subway further. It's possible I overlooked him earlier or he's found a way to block Cerebro. However, first there is a more pressing issue. Though I was unable to find Sabertooth, I did locate Toad."  
"Cool, so where's he at?" asked Phorm.   
"The history museum located a few miles south of here," answered the professor. "Beast has the necessary equipment ready downstairs, and Scott will organize the team for a fast and inconspicuous retrieval. I suggest you all move quickly and cooperate, or we may lose this opportunity. Good luck."  
I followed the others out of the professor's office and caught up with Phorm, who was hanging back a little ways from the group.   
"So, your first mission," she said to me, patting me on the shoulder jovially. "This ought to be fun. When we get there I could morph elephant and..."  
"And what?" Said Cyclops, who had apparently overheard Phorm.  
"And calmly explain that smoking and flash photography are strictly prohibited inside the museum," said Phorm, smiling sheepishly. Cyclops looked on the verge of giving Sharon a strict reprimand, so I cut in.  
"Uh, Sharon, I was curious about something."  
"Shoot," she said, turning toward me with a grateful sideways smile. I searched for a legitimate-sounding question.  
"How is it that you turn into animals?"   
"Oh no, you're starting to sound like Dr. McCoy," she said, rolling her eyes. "You should ask him if you want the scientific details, but pretty much I just focus on any animal I've touched and I change into it."  
All six of us entered the elevator that led to the X-Men's underground base of operations. Jean Gray edged closer to Cyclops as Rogue casually asked Wolverine about his trip. I continued talking to Phorm, now genuinely interested.  
"You mean you just think about it?"  
"Yeah. I kind of form a picture in my mind," she said, lifting her right hand. The small, defined fingers suddenly melded and hardened into a hoof. "And according to Beast, 'this mental picture sends a message through the network of neurons to the part of the brain containing all the imprinted DNA sequences, which then triggers the transformation'. Spiffy, huh?"  
I nodded, watching with awe as the hoof split back into five human fingers.  
"I've gotten better at it," she added. "When I first started it was slower and I couldn't control which parts morphed when."  
The door to the elevator opened and we stepped into the brightly-lit passageway. A large, blue-furred mutant in a lab coat greeted us cordially.  
"Greetings and salutations," he said. "The professor informed me you were to recover our amphibious friend and I have been anticipating your arrival." I was taken aback by his eloquent speech, and realized this must be the doctor Phorm had told me about. She'd never mentioned he was, well, big and blue and furry.  
"Pardon me for forgetting my manners," he continued, looking to me and then to Wolverine. "We haven't met before, though I have heard of both of you. My name is Dr. Hank McCoy, or simply Beast. You are Wolverine and Nightcrawler, if I'm not mistaken?" We both nodded. He led the group to a conference room where Cyclops informed everyone of the plan over a diagram of the museum.  
"We go in, find Toad, isolate him and bring him back for questioning," he said. "Our first objective is to keep him from harming anyone or anything. Like the professor said, we'll need to move quickly and try not to attract attention." Just then I had a troubling thought.  
"Excuse me," I said, raising a three-fingered hand, "but how will I avoid attracting attention?"  
"I believe this device will solve your predicament," answered Beast, handing me a small black box. It had a clip on one side and a minuscule switch on the other.   
"It is a portable holographic projector that creates an image with a radius of approximately two feet. I've enabled it with heat and vibration sensors so the image will be able to mimic your movements, but you'll have to remember to keep your arms and tail within the projection."  
I clipped the device onto my belt and flipped the switch. I noticed the air around me flicker slightly for a moment, and the others looked at me wide-eyed.   
"Does it work?" I asked, uncomfortable at their shocked expressions.  
"Oh yeah," said Phorm. The others seemed equally impressed.  
"I may need to make a few adjustments," said Beast, looking me up and down with a scrupulous eye, "but it should function well enough for the time being." He beamed at his handiwork.   
"Nice work, Hank," said Cyclops. "Now then, we'll approach the museum in two cars to avoid suspicion."  
"What," said Wolverine, "you mean we're not landing the jet on the front lawn?"  
"No," said Cyclops dryly. Phorm spoke up enthusiastically.  
"The X-Men go on a field trip, oh joy!"  
  
Phorm:  
I was in peregrine falcon morph over the museum, and the sun was hovering just over the horizon. Beast had decided to stay back at the mansion but did give us some more nifty toys. To make communication easier we each had a mini-radio transmitter. It's basically the same as any store-bought walkie talkie, only a little bit smaller so that it's inconspicuous. I watched as the rest of the team parked a little ways from the building in two different cars. Out of one car came Cyclops, Wolverine, and Nightcrawler, and out of the second came Rogue, Storm, and Jean Grey. Then I spotted Toad through a window in a large room.  
I think I've found froggy, I said to the rest of the X-Men telepathically. The only reason I had a radio was so that they could respond. I saw that the window to the room was open, probably how Toad got in. There were also some statues, pots, etc., which were probably what Toad was after. He's in the Babylonian exhibit on the west side. What can I say, I know my artifacts.  
"Good," said Cyclops over the mini-radio. "Keep an eye on him until we get in."   
Okie Dokie. I said. Then I saw a group of people though another window.  
Uh oh, I said. We got tourists three o'clock.  
"We're inside the building," said Cyclops. "Did you say tourists?"  
Yeah, I said, a whole bunch of 'em. I think their headed towards the room Toad's in.  
"This doesn't sound good," said Kurt.   
"What if Toad attacks those people?" asked Rogue.  
I'm going in, I announced, not waiting for a reply. I folded my wings and dived towards the open window. Toad was too busy watching the tourists walk in to notice me swoop behind a jewelry display.  
"No," said Cyclops over the radio I was still clutching in my talons, "stay as look out." Too late. I quickly demorphed. As the final feather shrank away I took in my surroundings from behind the display. The room was larger than it had looked from the outside. Toad was sticking to the ceiling, looking menacingly down at the unaware group of tourists. I could tell by the look in his eyes what he was thinking, something to the extent of 'It's time for some fun.' I spotted a camera in the corner covered in slime. No doubt Toad's doing.  
Meanwhile the tour guide lady droned on about the artifacts, "Now the Babylonian pottery is quite unique due to the blah blah blah…" you get the point. All the while she was oblivious to the danger lurking overhead.  
I realized that this was going down here and now, and the others wouldn't be here in time to stop Toad. I needed to lure him away from the tourists, distract him. If I morphed grizzly I'd just scare the people, but if I didn't do something he was going to terrorize those tourists and probably get away with some priceless stuff. Then I got an idea, which, like most of my ideas, was totally insane.   
I could feel my eyes bug out just as my skin turned bright red and blue. Before you could say supercalafrajulisticexpialadocious - I was a frog. I checked to make sure the tourists couldn't see me at that angle and hopped up on top of the display case in perfect view of Toad.   
Hey Slimeboy, why don't you pick on someone your own species? He looked around for a second, then spotted me on the plexi-glass display. It's hard to miss a bright red and blue frog sticking its tongue out.   
Yeah I'm talking to you, you frog-faced freak. What can I say, I'm a trash talker when I have to be. At first he had looked confused, but now he was just mad. Real mad. He didn't even notice the group of tourists exit the room. Good timing on their part.  
"Why you little," he said and jumped to the floor. All of a sudden he looked a whole lot bigger.  
Yipe! I thought aloud as I turned and started to hop away, trying to reach the open window. He grabbed me by the foot with his tongue and lifted me off the ground. I realized there wasn't enough time to demorph from such a small animal.   
Um, I don't know where you guys are but I could really use a little help right now, I said, directing it at the X-Men. Then with a glaring look and a flick of the tongue from Toad, everything went dark. 


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6  
  
Nightcrawler:  
Cyclops, Wolverine and I were the first to reach the scene thanks to my teleportation ability. It had been hard to find what room Sharon was in, and when we finally zapped into the right room the scene wasn't pretty. Toad had a red and blue frog with his tongue, and I realized who that frog was.  
"No, don't!" I shouted, but it was too late. His huge tongue slid back into his mouth with the red and blue frog. Right then I thought it was over for Sharon, but just as Toad put the frog in his mouth he spat it back out.  
Gross! Sharon exclaimed. She was covered in slime but at least she was alive. Then Toad, still gagging, looked from me, to Cyclops, to Wolverine.  
"What's the matter?" asked Wolverine with I smirk. "Frog got your tongue, bub?" Toad turned toward the window.  
"Hold it right there!" said Cyclops. Toad ignored him and jumped out the open window.   
"Should I go after him?" I asked Cyclops.  
"No," he said, "he won't cause any more trouble here. We'll find him again. At least, we'd better." He looked at Sharon.  
Meanwhile Sharon had changed completely back to human and gave an exasperated look that seemed to say, 'So it's my fault he got away.'   
"Thanks for the backup," she said. I couldn't tell whether or not it was sarcastic. I guess Cyclops took it as sarcastic.  
"We got here as soon as we could," he said, his anger growing. "Maybe if you stayed as lookout like I told you to and…"  
"And let Frogboy run wild in the museum?" She said. "Uh uh, I don't think so."  
"C'mon Cyc," said Wolverine, "lighten up."  
"Listen," said Cyclops looking at Sharon, "this is a team and you have to listen to orders. You can't just do what you feel like, understand?" I could tell he said it for Wolverine, too.  
"Yes, sir," she said. This time it was definitely sarcastic. Her eyes were cold as ice and her smile was a smirk.  
"With the stunt you pulled you're lucky to be alive," he said coldly, refusing to let his anger get the better of him.  
"I'm glad you're okay," I said to Sharon to try to break the tension. It didn't work.  
"Yeah," said Wolverine, "glad you weren't an appetizer."  
"Thanks," she said to Wolverine and me. "And he couldn't have swallowed me if he tried," she said more to Cyclops than to us. He shot her a 'yeah right' look. He didn't like her cocky attitude one bit.   
"Poison dart frog," she explained. "It's skin secretes a poisonous layer that protects it from predators. Even Toads. He won't get that bad taste out of his mouth for a while." Sharon obviously had extensive knowledge of her morphs. I was impressed. Cyclops was not.  
"You weren't sure it would work," he said scoldingly. "You could have been killed. Next time do as you're told."   
"You're just mad 'cause I did it my way and it worked out," she said. "Or would you rather have had me stay on lookout and watch Toad get away with a few priceless artifacts?"  
"It's a matter of teamwork and respect," he said.   
"It's a matter of trust," she countered. He looked away, nothing to respond. Sharon looked up at the window and sighed.   
"Look," she said finally, "I'm sorry if I didn't follow orders. I was only trying to help those people out. Now I'd love to sit here and argue all day, but I think I'm gonna' go see if I can find where Froggy ran off to, if that's okay with you, 'el cap-i-tan'." Wolverine hid a laugh at her sheer sarcasm. I also found it humorous, but decided against laughing when I saw the look on Cyclops's face.  
"Fine, but just find where he is. Don't do anything else," said Cyclops with his patience gone.  
"Got it," said Sharon. She smiled at me and morphed barn owl. It was amazing to watch the feathers sprout from her arms, her silver eyes turn amber, and talons grow where feet were. Then she flapped out of the window as Rogue, Storm, and Jean came in.   
"Where's Toad?" asked Rogue.  
"He's gone," I said.  
"Where's Phorm going?" asked Storm.  
"To look for Toad," answered Wolverine, still smiling from the minor mutiny. Already I could tell he wasn't to crazy about Cyclops, and the exchange of words between Sharon and Cyclops was no doubt fun for him to watch. Cyclops was checking for stolen artifacts, still fuming at Sharon's disrespect.  
"Was anything stolen?" Jean asked Cyclops, her concern evident. Cyclops looked back at her hard, even for his normal one-eyed stare. He seemed to resent his answer.  
"No."  
"All right," said Rogue, "mission accomplished." Cyclops sent her a look even harder than the last.   
Then Jean asked, "Did we miss something?"  
  
Phorm:  
I was feeling pretty peeved at Cyclops as I flew silently above the city buildings. Why did he seem to have it in for me all the time? I mean, sure, I was kind of irritating and I hardly ever paid him respect and…ok, maybe it was partially my fault. I made a mental note to try and cut down on the mouthing off and strained my sharp owl eyes for signs of Toad in the deepening twilight.   
Then I spotted him up ahead to my left, hopping from rooftop to rooftop. I swerved a little and flapped after him. Suddenly he stopped and I was afraid he'd somehow noticed me overhead, but instead he spat for a moment and muttered curses about a nasty little something-or-other, and then continued on.  
Finally he jumped down and walked over to an entryway that struck me as familiar. I recognized it as the old subway entrance where I'd seen Sabertooth's tracks lead earlier that day. Toad glanced at the "CONDEMNED" sign posted next to it, then walked down the dark stairway and disappeared.  
Looks like our boys found a new hideout, I thought to myself. I noted the location of the entrance, turned toward the mansion, and flapped off. I'll be back.   
By the time I arrived back at the mansion the moon high and most of the students were in bed. I swooped into my room (I always left the window open) and demorphed. The lights were already off and the idea of just collapsing on the big, soft bed was very appealing, but I figured I should tell someone about what I found.  
I stepped out of my room and walked down the dimly lit hallway as quietly as I could so as not to wake anyone. Near the end of the hallway I saw light shining around the edges of the door to Cyclops and Jean Gray's room. Good, at least someone was up to hear the news. I was approaching the door to knock when I heard voices from inside and wondered if I should just save it for tomorrow. Then I thought I heard my name and stepped a bit closer to make out what the muffled voices were saying.  
"Professor Xavier trusts her," Jean Gray was saying.  
"Honestly, sometimes I think the professor is too trusting," answered Cyclops with a sigh, "especially of those who seem to have good intentions."  
"Perhaps he knows more about those good intentions than you give him credit for."  
"Maybe, but then again, Phorm's told us so little about her past." I had assumed he and Jean Gray were talking about me - hearing my name drove it home. I checked my breathing as Cyclops continued.   
"She just seems a bit…unstable. Too reckless and disrespectful."  
"I imagine behaving normally would be difficult so soon after losing her parents, Scott. You of all people can understand that. Couldn't you try to…"  
She stopped mid-sentence, and I tensed at the sudden silence. I heard footsteps and took a step back from the door as Jean Gray opened it. She and Cyclops looked at me with concern, but I looked away downward as if the rug was suddenly fascinating. I couldn't bring myself to meet their eyes.  
"Toad went down the abandoned subway off of Fifth Street," I said quietly. "Thought you might wanna know." I turned and walked quickly down the hall toward my room.  
"Sharon wait," said Cyclops, passing Jean Gray and sprinting after me. I stopped, feeling hurt, angry, humiliated, and alone, bitter tears starting to force their way into my eyes.  
"What?" I said indignantly, turning to face him. "So you can lecture me on staying up late? Cutting class? Not following orders? You disapprove. I get it, already."  
"Then why don't you do something about it?" He asked, equally frustrated.  
"Because I don't need you telling me what to do."  
"Right, because you know everything and I have no idea what you're going through," he said. Exasperated, I turned to head back to my room. "You know, there's no way to escape the past. Someday you have to face the pain instead of running away from it."   
I stopped dead in my tracks. At his words, my mind was flooded with the thoughts and images I'd tried to suppress with all my strength for so long. I wanted so desperately to run from that spot, morph owl and fly from everything. If I could only fly away to where no one could reach me, then I could forget and be free…but, no, that wasn't the answer. I'd tried that once already - flown nearly 2000 miles to get away from the truth and find a new beginning - but you can't fly away from yourself. Instead I stood there, eyes shut as I struggled in an icy sea of memories. I shivered as each wave stole my breath away and sent new pain into forgotten wounds.  
"How long has it been?" Jean Gray urged gently, calling me back to the present. I opened my eyes, but still I was looking someplace far away and what seemed like ages ago.  
"Two months and twelve days," I said distractedly. I felt as if I was listening to myself speak. "It was a Friday night. They'd gone to visit some friends up in the mountains. Said they'd be back before midnight, so I waited up. I must've fallen asleep around four in the morning, wondering what was taking them so long. The police officer arrived around eight, said they were…" I paused involuntarily, reliving the disbelief and sudden emptiness like it was the first time. I felt a hand on my shoulder, giving me the strength to continue.  
"I didn't believe him so I flew out there myself. The officers there said part of a truck must have come loose and the road had been icy. The police hadn't finished cleaning up the wreckage, and I saw my parents' car. It…it was all twisted metal and broken glass. I watched the paramedics zip them in those black bags…"  
I couldn't hold back the tears anymore. I turned and let loving arms grasp me in a warm embrace. For a moment I imagined these were my parents' arms, and when I opened my eyes again it would be my mother and father holding me close. No, I had to stop pretending.  
They're gone. 


	8. Note

Big thanks to Space Toaster for asking me to continue - it inspired me. aww :D I've written two chapters in two weeks, and it feels spiffy getting back into the story.   
  
Thank you for reading this, and have a nice day! 


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